View full sizeRachel Stark/The OregonianAround 275 school superintendents, board members, legislators and teachers from around the region came together Tuesday night for an education summit in Happy Valley.

During a unique Clackamas County education summit that
leaders say will be replicated around the state, Oregon Chief Education Officer
Rudy Crew on Tuesday pushed for more connectivity and collaboration between
Oregon schools and districts to achieve one statewide goal.

Crew spoke about literacy, achievement gaps and financial
challenges through the lens of the state's 40-40-20 goal, which calls for 40
percent of adult Oregonians to have at least a bachelor's degree, another 40
percent to have at least an associate's degree or post-secondary credential and
the remaining 20 percent to have at least a high school diploma, by 2025. The
vision, Crew said, presents a good opportunity for key players in education to
work together, sharing ideas and best practices.

"We have spent so much time in isolation in this industry
that we haven't been able to get the benefit of the best minds and the best
practitioners to the table where we ultimately need them," Crew said.

A crowd of about 275, made up of school superintendents, teachers,
legislators, school board members and other community members from Clackamas
County and around the region, attended the summit in Happy Valley.

Clackamas County superintendents coordinated the event and
plan to follow up with a meeting where they will identify takeaways for each
of their own districts. Maryalice Russell, the superintendent for McMinnville
schools, said she hopes to conduct a similar summit in her county.

The theme of connectivity resounded throughout the night. When
speaking about the need to improve reading comprehension levels, Crew urged leaders
to look beyond their own schools or districts. "We have easily several thousand
children in the state of Oregon who are not literate by our standards," Crew
said. "This can't be about, 'it's not in our backyard.' If it's in Oregon, it's
in your backyard. The literacy of one community affects all communities."

Crew also called for new ways of thinking about money for
schools, suggesting that the conversation should shift from a "formulaic"
method tied to numbers of classroom seats, students, or dollars to a focus on
outcomes. The leaders, he said, need to show evidence for the need for the
money.

Lake Oswego Superintendent Bill Korach said that when facing
funding issues, districts need to be "what we want to see in our children" --
resourceful, resilient, adaptable, with the understanding that the state is in
a "transformational period."

"This new vision for Oregon can only work if we're all in,"
Korach said. "We all have to be in."

Following Crew's and Korach's talks, the attendees discussed
amongst their tables their ideas and concerns for state education, then shared
them with the group in a debriefing.

Gladstone Superintendent Bob Stewart said the feedback shared
at the summit will be useful as school districts figure out their next steps.

"I'm personally excited about our opportunity," Stewart
said. "I think this is the one time in my 37 years that I can look at a
coherent goal the governor has and say we have a chance. It will take an effort
by all of us, working together."